My Lady Jane by Cynthia Hand, Jodi, and Brodi
****spoilers ahead****
This is book is hilarious, but you definitely have to be in the mood for it. My Lady Jane is a book that you sit down and read. The pacing is even, but you want to keep going, and the humor is there. Make sure you know what you’re reading. I’ve been putting this book off for a while because I judged it by its cover. Horrible, I know. The book claimed to be historical fiction, but I thought “There is no way that this is historical fiction, it’s got too many stars on Goodreads, and the cover notes look straight up romance”. I was wrong. Well ok, not actually that wrong, because both assumptions proved themselves to be true, but it turned out better than I thought it would. The thing is, I wanted to be in the mood for that kind of book, because I have been looking forward to reading this and I didn’t want to hate it, just because I wasn’t feeling it.* I started Thursday and finished Friday.
*I was totally feeling it.
See the historical fiction part is very true. Emphasis on fiction. For about the first half, the authors stay true to what is known of history. And then comes part two. Part two is very fun and gr8 but what is historical accuracy???? But honestly their ending is much better than how history says it goes. Who doesn’t love less death?*
*don't answer that
The romance is so fun. Here are my favorite types of romantic relationships in order from best to worst:
1. Friendship to lovers
2. Not lovers to lovers (in a gradual, crush-based, way)
3. Instalove*
4. Love triangles/squares**
Now guess where My Lady Jane falls? Number 2? That’s right! So it’s an arranged marriage between Jane and her husband G, but yay! They both think the other person is hot, so that helps. Gradually husband and wife overcome their general animosity toward the other and understanding blossoms into friendship/crushship, which then turns to love. It’s great and the authors take their time developing it. Now Jane and G are the main couple here (obviously. The book is called My Lady Jane), but Prince Edward and Gracie are pretty cool too. Their relationship is well developed too, and doesn’t fall apart as soon as Jane and G take center stage. There is a description of love in there too that I took note of, but I can’t find it now.
*no exceptions. Not even for soul mates. Soul mates need friendship too.
**with the exception of Jem/Will/Tessa in The Infernal Devices if that even counts, because there is just so much love there, ok?
So everything else is great too. There is a spectacular amount of world building that hits me in all the right places. One of the main premises is that people can occasionally turn into animals, if the genetics are right. Now some people might call this a Patronus rip-off of sorts, but I loved it. Your animal form doesn’t seem to be an all important review or example of your character, as most human/animal (or spirit animal) relationships tend to be. There are certain aspects that shine through on each one, but no one cares? They just think it’s cool you can become an animal at all.
The narrators stop at one point to tell us that Pet didn’t do and that was just ¬¬¬.
THERE ARE SO MANY ALLUSIONS GOD ABOVE PLEASE SAVE ME. After awhile it got annoying. There are some good ones thrown in* but there are just so. Many. Shakespeare references. TOO MANY. That is literally all that I would change about the book, and it is only a mild annoyance. Yay!!
*looking at you Tangled reference
My Lady Jane is great, you should go read it.
Tuesday, July 11, 2017
Sunday, July 24, 2016
REVIEW! The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer
SO I'm stupidly in love with The Lunar Chronicles as a whole. I only read Cinder because there was a product in June's Owlcrate box. Best. Decision. Of my life. Before reading the series (when it came out, actually) I was suspicious of this series that claimed it combined sci-fi with fairytales. Like, who does that? I thought it would be terrible, and I would have to swear to only read my precious Alex Flinn retellings. My opinion has since changed (though I do still love Alex Flinn).
I mean they're fairy tales in space. Does it get much better than that? The answer is no.
Here are some reasons why these books are awesome and you should go read them immediately.
1. They got me out of a bit of a reading slump. I'd been reading, but nothing that had engaged me so wholly as these books
2. You might think "ugh why mix sci-fi and fairy tales? They're ruining (x) genre!" you are wrong. So so wrong.
3. Ok so the characters are freaking awesome. Like really really good. These babes are all non-static and rounded characters which is hard to find in just 1 or 2 characters, but guess what? Marisa Meyer creates 8 main characters that you can find these traits in. Not to mention countless side characters that are also given strong personalities. Plus a couple of supporting main characters, such as Iko, who has an amazing personality (chip) and the villain. MM is sure to include every character in a way that moves the book forward.
4. Plus there's a heck ton of diversity and even a relative amount of disabled representation? So Cinder is for sure not white, and Kai is legit 100% Asian. Then you have Wolf who's Middle Eastern, Scarlet is French and then Winter who’s strong, black, and is described constantly as “the most beautiful” girl in the book. And bonus! none of this diversity feels forced! Plus the disabilities: Cinder has a couple prosthetic (or cyborg) limbs, and Thorne is blind for a while. In fact, Cinder’s prosthetics come to play a lot and are a major part of her plot.
5. PRAISE BE TO THE HEAVENS ABOVE. There aren't any love triangles. Ever. The romance is well written and well placed and there isn't really any instalove (I’m excluding Cress's fascination with Thorne for right now). I actually cannot physically describe how much I love all of these ships, and the intricacies within them. Just. Read about them.
6. ACTION. There's so much action and it's great. But the author also knows how to pace, and that shows, because developmental moments happen, but not at some weird super fast rate. Actually something I loved was that the final little rebellion thing didn't happen all at once! It took weeks, which is unusual to find mentioned in YA books, but MM did!
7. Have you ever read those books where it's targeted at a certain age, but you feel like it's well written enough that you (a person outside the targeted age bracket) can still read it? Cause I have (although not frequently) and this series is one of those cases. So just in case you’re worrying about that, don’t!
8. And then there's the girl power. All of the main ladies are incredible. They're strong and varying in independence, and also can be weak in different ways. They have flaws. They love, without giving up their autonomy. It's magical. And each one brings a different kickass trait to the table, both in ability and personality. I love them all so much!
9. And also my boys. They're cool too! These nerds are also completely unique individuals that have character development (like, it gets intense) and grow and change throughout the books. My small small babies. Plus, they love their ladies, and still have their own important parts of the plot, and contributions.
I mean they're fairy tales in space. Does it get much better than that? The answer is no.
Here are some reasons why these books are awesome and you should go read them immediately.
1. They got me out of a bit of a reading slump. I'd been reading, but nothing that had engaged me so wholly as these books
2. You might think "ugh why mix sci-fi and fairy tales? They're ruining (x) genre!" you are wrong. So so wrong.
3. Ok so the characters are freaking awesome. Like really really good. These babes are all non-static and rounded characters which is hard to find in just 1 or 2 characters, but guess what? Marisa Meyer creates 8 main characters that you can find these traits in. Not to mention countless side characters that are also given strong personalities. Plus a couple of supporting main characters, such as Iko, who has an amazing personality (chip) and the villain. MM is sure to include every character in a way that moves the book forward.
4. Plus there's a heck ton of diversity and even a relative amount of disabled representation? So Cinder is for sure not white, and Kai is legit 100% Asian. Then you have Wolf who's Middle Eastern, Scarlet is French and then Winter who’s strong, black, and is described constantly as “the most beautiful” girl in the book. And bonus! none of this diversity feels forced! Plus the disabilities: Cinder has a couple prosthetic (or cyborg) limbs, and Thorne is blind for a while. In fact, Cinder’s prosthetics come to play a lot and are a major part of her plot.
5. PRAISE BE TO THE HEAVENS ABOVE. There aren't any love triangles. Ever. The romance is well written and well placed and there isn't really any instalove (I’m excluding Cress's fascination with Thorne for right now). I actually cannot physically describe how much I love all of these ships, and the intricacies within them. Just. Read about them.
6. ACTION. There's so much action and it's great. But the author also knows how to pace, and that shows, because developmental moments happen, but not at some weird super fast rate. Actually something I loved was that the final little rebellion thing didn't happen all at once! It took weeks, which is unusual to find mentioned in YA books, but MM did!
7. Have you ever read those books where it's targeted at a certain age, but you feel like it's well written enough that you (a person outside the targeted age bracket) can still read it? Cause I have (although not frequently) and this series is one of those cases. So just in case you’re worrying about that, don’t!
8. And then there's the girl power. All of the main ladies are incredible. They're strong and varying in independence, and also can be weak in different ways. They have flaws. They love, without giving up their autonomy. It's magical. And each one brings a different kickass trait to the table, both in ability and personality. I love them all so much!
9. And also my boys. They're cool too! These nerds are also completely unique individuals that have character development (like, it gets intense) and grow and change throughout the books. My small small babies. Plus, they love their ladies, and still have their own important parts of the plot, and contributions.
Monday, June 6, 2016
Singing the Praises of Rick Riordan!
So here’s the long and short of it: I loved The Hidden Oracle. I felt that with this book, Rick really
got his groove back, because to me, The Sword of Summer was good, but it wasn’t
really up to par. And to be honest, I felt the same about some of the Heroes of
Olympus books. With Percy Jackson, Uncle Rick set a standard for himself.
1. Must be sarcastic, with a good balance of
seriousness
2. Must have consistent character development
3. Must not go back on said character development
2. Must have consistent character development
3. Must not go back on said character development
4. Must include diverse characters with different
personalities
And he did so
incredibly well with those in Percy Jackson.
In Heroes of Olympus he was
mildly inconsistent, but he did balance 9
main characters. How? HOW, MAN? That is an absolutely incredible feat
because it’s usually hard for author’s to balance 3. And then with Kane
Chronicles he did pretty well.
Now I say all this but keep in mind that every. Single. Book.
Made it to the #1 New York Bestsellers spot. That’s incredible. In fact, all of
the finished series are still there.
As The New York Times says: “The
“Percy Jackson and the Olympians” and “Heroes of Olympus” series, to give their
official names, certainly earned all their successes. Riordan, a teacher before
he was a writer, taught a generation of American children not just the names
but also much of the substance, the emotional architecture, of Greek mythology.”
To me, this perfectly gives a perfect
description of what Rick has done with his books. He’s taught a new generation
about the classics. And interested them. Really, truly interested them. Which is hard enough. And about long dead people?
Go, Rick! I want to be in one of your classes!
REVIEW! The Hidden Oracle by: Rick Riordan
So here’s the long and short of it: I loved The Hidden Oracle. I felt that with this book, Rick really
got his groove back, because to me, he hadn’t yet.
The Hidden Oracle is a bright and truthful book about a
recently-made-mortal god and a quirky street urchin finding a way to save the
world and not die at the same time.
Returning characters:
AHHHH!!!! PERCY’S GOING TO BE A BROTHER (blood this time, versus ichor)
AHHHHHH!!!!
-All right, all right. So I live for Jackson family updates
in books that are not about the Jackson family. But squee!
-It’s really really nice to get a blast of sarcasm and
freshness from Percy whenever we see him. After all, we started the journey
with him, plus, because of the way he ages from book to book, he and I are at
about the same point in life. Ahhh, the joys of standardized testing and
college. And just hearing about Annabeth was nice because, let’s be real,
Annabeth is bae.
-It is great to see all of our other demigod babes too! I
particularly enjoyed getting to know Apollo’s children and see their
interactions with their dad. I really like how the children’s talents are
typically influenced by what their godly parent fell in love with their mortal
parent for (in the cases that the god/goddess has specific talents also). In
general, it was just a new experience to see how some of the other cabins
decorate. What can I say? I’m a sucker for world building.
-SOLANGELO IS ALIVE AND WELL! Yay!! Those cuties!
“Significant annoyance, in your case,” Nico grumbled.
“Oh, I’ll
get you for that.”
Mm yes. Wholesome and adorable. I’m excited to see how their
relationship develops!
-HOLY GUACOMOLE!!! I actually started crying when the long
lost son of the fandom showed up! LEO BABY! YOU AND CALYPSO ARE OK! *eternal screaming* Their relationship
is also cute and adorable and basically how I’ve always pictured it. I am so
very excited to see more as they travel with Apollo.
Villains
-The Triumvirate (tri-uhm-vur-it) itself was being a scarily
efficient for a group of long dead Roman emperors. I mean, to me it was
actually rather frightening that they had enabled so many of Camp Half-Blood’s
previous enemies, or that they had even been around long enough to gather vast
amounts of money and property and connections. It’s generally less good when
your enemies have lots of time to prepare.
-Python is a bit of an unknown entity to me, so I don’t have
much to say on the matter except that he just seems like a snake. Go ahead and
laugh. When I say snake, I mean the personality, not just the creature.
Main characters
Meg
I honestly don’t know what to do
with Meg at this point. I’m pretty sure she has a form of Stockholm syndrome,
and is definitely showing signs of having experienced domestic violence. I’m
pretty sure I like her. I suppose it fades in and out a little bit, but on the
whole she is a pretty great kid, and definitely a wonderfully well-rounded
character. I hope we see more of her, and that everything works out. It’s got
to be tough living with a half-dead-but-not-dead-enough Roman emperor.
Apollo
Apollo is
still the obnoxious, narcissistic god mortal that many of us have grown
to love, or at least tolerate. Over the course of the book, readers see Apollo
change and mature through his exposure to what life is like for mortals.
I felt like the scene where he was singing his heart out to
put the myrmyrkes to sleep was
probably one of the best scenes I’ve ever read, and incredibly important to his
character development. He’s singing about his faults, for goodness sake.
Concerning Apollo and the children that he has sired or
taken under his wing: I liked his relationships with them. He was initially
hesitant about Meg, but he came around rather quickly, and treats her as I
imagine a rather exasperated but loving parent would. He’s quite devoted to
keeping her alive and well, and I admire that about him. Apollo’s relationship
with his children leaves little to be desired. When he first meets them, he
acts as a godly parent; more of a “oo! Look what I made! Isn’t that neat!”
instead of “I want my children to be as safe as possible, look at this amazing
person I helped make.” But as time goes on, he starts to have much more of the
second opinion and becomes truly concerned about his children’s wellbeing.
Things I loved
Basically everything
Rick did an amazing job with this book. It is well written
with consistent character development, and the story telling is sure to keep
the reader involved from cover to cover.
Things I didn't love
Apollo did go through a teensy bit of character development
regression, but it was about his ego, and he only felt vaguely better after
saving the campers, so... it’s understandable.
Favorite quotes
“You were going to say, ‘At least we’re not being
followed. Then we’ll end up in a big battle that totals my family car and
probably destroys the whole freeway. Then we’ll have to run all the way to
camp.” –Percy Jackson
“You know, I keep thinking, I have now killed every single thing in Greek mythology. But the
list never seems to end.” –Percy Jackson
“...You simply can't do much with a kiddie pool
brain.”- Apollo
“...Oh why does college have to happen to
perfectly good people.”-Apollo
“Showers are good. Perhaps not as good as bacon,
but good.”-Apollo
“Many different belief systems powered the revolution
of the planets and stars. Wolves would still chase Sol across the sky. Ra would
continue his daily journey in his sun barque. Tonatiuh would keep running on
his surplus blood from human sacrifices back in the Aztec days. And that other
thing—science—would still generate gravity and quantum physics and
whatever.”-Apollo
“...Not all monsters were three-ton reptiles with
poisonous breath. Many wore human faces.”-Apollo
“...His chin is so weak, I was tempted to create a
GoFundMe campaign to but him a better jaw.”- Apollo
Saturday, April 9, 2016
REVIEW! The Night Circus by: Erin Morgenstern
I feel as if I have awoken from a dream.
Of course, that isn’t unique to this book, any more than other books that completely draw me in, and make the world outside seem dull.
The Night Circus by Eric Morgenstern is amazing (in the not-just-a-positive-adjective sense of the word). It’s one of those books that when you’re reading it, you will rave on and on about it, but otherwise you simply recollect a feeling of thoroughly enjoying it. As you read more, you fall more in love with the characters, the story, and the Le Cirque des Rêves itself.
Eric Morgenstern weaves a tale of love, loss, magic, and other cliché words that hold little meaning due to over use. The Night Circus make you think more than anything else, how real the world actually is, and if what you dismiss as impossible is simple to others who know the process of how to do it. Beyond the philosophical and bittersweet feel of the story, Mr. Morgenstern uses his characters to fully express the range of mystery that the circus provides.
Celia Bowen is a surprisingly honest character. She uses no stage name, does nothing to hide her magic except advertise it as illusion, and when directly confronted with questions, tends to reveal a fair amount of information. From a main character that has as many secrets as she does, Celia never really seems intent on keeping any of them. The magic that Celia weaves is the circus there is no other way to describe it.
Marco Alisdair. Wheew. That man is really something else. He has a great range of emotion, and he develops in character VERY nicely thoughout the book. I enjoy that Marco does not believe himself to truly be better than other enchanters simply because he uses a different technique. That is an individual mindset that I don't see too often in fantasy literature. His relationship with Alexander is very complicated because it is not a simple "I like my father figure" nor is it "I hate my kidnapper" relationship. Because Marco hates him AND loves him which gives a depth to their relationship that many other father figure realtionships don't have.
Herr Friedrick Thiessen is a priceless gem and I’m sorry that he died. Whoo boy his death actually hit me pretty hard, and so I elected to ignore it until I couldn't anymore. Which turned out to be unfortunately soon after...
HIS CLOCKS ARE AMAZING THEY MAKE ME WANT TO BE CLOCKMAKER
The twins- Widget and Poppet are rather unique characters. I appreciate the symbolism of Widget being born before midnight (and being able to see the past), and Poppy being born after (and being able to see the future). They are very good siblings. But then again, most twins seem to be better at not fighting than non-twins. Poppet is my cup of tea. She can tell the future, but she’s not obsessed with doing so. She is taking her time growing up too, for the most part.
THEY TRAIN KITTENS INSTEAD OF BIG CATS LIKE THEIR PARENTS OMG YES.
Bailey- hype for the new ringmaster, am I right? I think he’ll be marvelous running it, and it is always proper and perfect when someone who is continuously awed by magic is in charge of it. Oh! And I ship Bailey and Poppet because they are both so great.
The Rêveurs- I believe that I’ve recently become one :)
-The idea that they are part of the circus, but also apart from it is rather poetic, and fitting. The camaraderie and general friendliness is the defining characteristic of the rêveurs, and it really helps the reader to become one. They create the feeling of belonging on the inside of the story, but outside the circus, just as well as the insert-reader chapters do.
The Competition is a love story. Thought not necessarily between Hector and Alexander. But rather it seems to be “who can make a player that will want to sacrifice themselves second?”
The Circus is a jungle gym that grew into a jungle. Rather unlike how Alexander and Hector planned it. The tents are mostly a collection of love letters from Celia to Marco and back, which is what makes the Circus so beautiful.
Things I didn’t like
-the layout. I have a hard time following books that jump back and forth, but it was very important to have that element to weave the different parts of the story. TBH, I just used the twins’ age to tell when an event was.
-the way that everyone we really came in contact with seemed older than their age in maturity, with speech patterns and such. Of course, the people we met were typically adults, with a few magical/important exceptions (ex: Marco, Celia, Bailey, Widget, and Poppet).
Things I liked:
-how the sides of nature vs. nurture (or natural talent vs. studied talent) came into play during the competition
-the Widget’s and Poppet’s parts in the story
-actually how it ended. I didn't really expect that, but it was better than one of them dying and then the other living in misery.
Favorite quotes:
-Basically all the descriptions of clothes because clothing imagery is a guilty pleasure and Mme. Pavra is wonderful
-“...a grin that has too much wolf in it to be sheepish.”- Celia Bowen
-“’I prefer to remain unenlightened, to better appreciate the dark.’”- Friedrick Thiessen
-“’Do you often give forbidden tours of your employer’s house?’
Of course, that isn’t unique to this book, any more than other books that completely draw me in, and make the world outside seem dull.
The Night Circus by Eric Morgenstern is amazing (in the not-just-a-positive-adjective sense of the word). It’s one of those books that when you’re reading it, you will rave on and on about it, but otherwise you simply recollect a feeling of thoroughly enjoying it. As you read more, you fall more in love with the characters, the story, and the Le Cirque des Rêves itself.
Eric Morgenstern weaves a tale of love, loss, magic, and other cliché words that hold little meaning due to over use. The Night Circus make you think more than anything else, how real the world actually is, and if what you dismiss as impossible is simple to others who know the process of how to do it. Beyond the philosophical and bittersweet feel of the story, Mr. Morgenstern uses his characters to fully express the range of mystery that the circus provides.
Celia Bowen is a surprisingly honest character. She uses no stage name, does nothing to hide her magic except advertise it as illusion, and when directly confronted with questions, tends to reveal a fair amount of information. From a main character that has as many secrets as she does, Celia never really seems intent on keeping any of them. The magic that Celia weaves is the circus there is no other way to describe it.
Marco Alisdair. Wheew. That man is really something else. He has a great range of emotion, and he develops in character VERY nicely thoughout the book. I enjoy that Marco does not believe himself to truly be better than other enchanters simply because he uses a different technique. That is an individual mindset that I don't see too often in fantasy literature. His relationship with Alexander is very complicated because it is not a simple "I like my father figure" nor is it "I hate my kidnapper" relationship. Because Marco hates him AND loves him which gives a depth to their relationship that many other father figure realtionships don't have.
Herr Friedrick Thiessen is a priceless gem and I’m sorry that he died. Whoo boy his death actually hit me pretty hard, and so I elected to ignore it until I couldn't anymore. Which turned out to be unfortunately soon after...
HIS CLOCKS ARE AMAZING THEY MAKE ME WANT TO BE CLOCKMAKER
The twins- Widget and Poppet are rather unique characters. I appreciate the symbolism of Widget being born before midnight (and being able to see the past), and Poppy being born after (and being able to see the future). They are very good siblings. But then again, most twins seem to be better at not fighting than non-twins. Poppet is my cup of tea. She can tell the future, but she’s not obsessed with doing so. She is taking her time growing up too, for the most part.
THEY TRAIN KITTENS INSTEAD OF BIG CATS LIKE THEIR PARENTS OMG YES.
Bailey- hype for the new ringmaster, am I right? I think he’ll be marvelous running it, and it is always proper and perfect when someone who is continuously awed by magic is in charge of it. Oh! And I ship Bailey and Poppet because they are both so great.
The Rêveurs- I believe that I’ve recently become one :)
-The idea that they are part of the circus, but also apart from it is rather poetic, and fitting. The camaraderie and general friendliness is the defining characteristic of the rêveurs, and it really helps the reader to become one. They create the feeling of belonging on the inside of the story, but outside the circus, just as well as the insert-reader chapters do.
The Competition is a love story. Thought not necessarily between Hector and Alexander. But rather it seems to be “who can make a player that will want to sacrifice themselves second?”
The Circus is a jungle gym that grew into a jungle. Rather unlike how Alexander and Hector planned it. The tents are mostly a collection of love letters from Celia to Marco and back, which is what makes the Circus so beautiful.
Things I didn’t like
-the layout. I have a hard time following books that jump back and forth, but it was very important to have that element to weave the different parts of the story. TBH, I just used the twins’ age to tell when an event was.
-the way that everyone we really came in contact with seemed older than their age in maturity, with speech patterns and such. Of course, the people we met were typically adults, with a few magical/important exceptions (ex: Marco, Celia, Bailey, Widget, and Poppet).
Things I liked:
-how the sides of nature vs. nurture (or natural talent vs. studied talent) came into play during the competition
-the Widget’s and Poppet’s parts in the story
-actually how it ended. I didn't really expect that, but it was better than one of them dying and then the other living in misery.
Favorite quotes:
-Basically all the descriptions of clothes because clothing imagery is a guilty pleasure and Mme. Pavra is wonderful
-“...a grin that has too much wolf in it to be sheepish.”- Celia Bowen
-“’I prefer to remain unenlightened, to better appreciate the dark.’”- Friedrick Thiessen
-“’Do you often give forbidden tours of your employer’s house?’
REVIEW! Lady Midnight by: Cassandra Clare
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
Lady Midnight is the first book in Cassie’s new series: The Dark Artifices! TDA is about the Shadowhunters of Los Angeles, and their actions, and disregard, for the Cold Peace. The Cold Peace is something that we all kind of knew about, but that we haven’t yet seen. I really love how Cassie works the perspective of faeries and Shadowhunters into this. Plus, she includes Shadowhunters who are gung ho about the Cold Peace and those who really...aren’t.
So it’s been five years since the events of City of Heavenly Fire, and oh what events those were. All of the characters that we know and love have grown a lot, and so have the characters that we met in COHF. Let’s talk about them for a bit.
Emma Carstairs:
Emma is 17, has a parabatai, can kick butt, and wants revenge for her parents who were brutally tortured and then murdered about 5 years ago. Now I know what you’re thinking, gee, 5 years ago? Wasn’t that during the Dark War? Wouldn’t that mean that Sebastian murdered Emma’s parents? Well yes, that usually would, and in fact, that is what the Clave says happened, but Emma and basically the rest of the LA Shadowhunters don't think so.
Sooooo she’s out for revenge. But thankfully the story doesn’t focus on just that! It is a main motivator in what starts the initial investigation, and for continued investigation, but after a certain point, Emma just wants to do this so no one else gets hurt.
Something that I really like about Emma is that she is moderately sassy, but its not a constant “hide behind my sarcasm” deal going. Emma is also super oblivious at some points (ex: when she passes off Julian’s steamy looks *wink for just him glancing at her. I mean seriously read your parabatai) but she really is usually pretty aware of her own surroundings. She is her own character. I know that Cassie has gotten a lot of flack from people who say that she has “cookie cutter characters” but I really have a hard time seeing that with this book. Her writing has certainly improved (as exhibited by TID too), but she deserves to be as popular as she is.
Next up we have Emma’s loving parabatai: Julian Blackthorn.
Julian Blackthorn is also 17, a parent to 4 children (if we don’t include Mark), and (unofficially) runs the Institute. While also being in love with his parabatai, which is so illegal it’s hard to describe.
Oh Jules. *nervous laughter*
You are sooooo in loooove.
I really appreciate that Jules can be an artist, and that he actually has a chance to do his art, while being a parent and a Shadowhunter.
He might want to work a little at the desperately in love with you thing, because when he tells Emma that he loves her.... he’s a little... intense? But that might be a cool thing for some people so.
Blackthorn Babies:
-Drusilla: gurrrrlll. You go! Fight bad guys! Be curvy and a successful Shadowhunter! Give no flying cucumbers.
-Livia: LOVE her style, and I respect her life choices
-Tiberius: Ty has been AMAZING at showing how awesome and capable he is. Especially in going from “can’t really fight w/o headphones” to “holding someone I don't know at knifepoint”
-Octavius: Literal baby. Tavvy does NOT need to become Max (too soon? Too soon) and I’m super happy he didn't
-Helen: we so little of her in this book, BUT CONGRATS ON YOUR MARRIAGE HELEN AND ALINE! We all knew it was going to happen, but it’s nice to see. You are a very supportive and cool (but necessarily distant) bug sis.
-Mark: I am syked about him being back. His backstory is tragic and really helps provide some perspective for what Faerie life is like, because up until now, we haven’t seen much of that. Also, TBH, I LOVE CassJean’s art of him.
And now for our beloved returning characters
-About Tessa and Jem: It is going to be GREAT to see them interact with their descendants more. Tessa honey: WHY OH WHY DID YOU TELL EMMA THAT? YOU KNOW HOW MUCH IT HURT YOU WHEN WILL DID ALL THAT TO YOU, AND NOW YOU JUST TELL OTHERS HOW TO DO IT WHEN THEY’RE ASKING? Honey...
-About Clary and Jace: They are being such adults! And THEY’RE RUNNING THE INSTITUTE.....AHHESHFKDJHJKSHJSAF. They're so cute. Oh! And we get this beautiful beautiful flashback to them in looove.
-About Magnus and Alec: cuties. And we saw Max! and how freaking defensive and wise Magnus still is.
-About Catarina Loss: hehehe. I love her. Catarina is great. Unfortuantely we don't get to see or hear a lot about her.. but I get the feeling that will change.
-About Simon and Isabelle: All we know is that Simon and Clary are parabatai *squee and that SIMON AND ISABELLE ARE ENGAGED YES YESYESYEYYSYYEYESYS
Other Characters:
-Christina: Is a rock your socks off type of awesome. She has her life together, and knows how to kill things. What more could you want from a supporting character?
-Diana: I really like that we got to see more of Diana, because she is an intriguing character, who I feel could be a well-rounded supporting character.
-Diego: He’s new. Very new. We meet him 2/3 of the way through the book? And he’s a cEnTuRiOn. Oo lala. He could be a nice perspective into the Scholomance and the Clave.
-Johnny Rook: He’s so shady and it’s great. But now he’s dead. I appreciate a) his job because that is a cool but dangerous job b) ability to (sort of) successfully raise a child in such a dangerous world c) hide his ancestry AND Kit’s.
-Can we talk about Kit? Kit is cool. And apparently a Shadowhunter. And a Herondale. I’m not entirely sure what is happening here, but he has potential.
Villains
-Malcom Fade: look bro. what you did WASN'T chill. I’m glad you’re dead so you can’t do it again. But I also pity you, and get where you were coming from. Rough life. Especially when you think that all your friends have lied to you when they have, in fact, not.
-Lady Midnight herself: ohhhh dear. is she actually going to be bad? Is it now going to be her getting revenge on her posterity for either a) burying herself alive or b) murdering her love (technically that's emma tho)
Relationships
-Julian and Emma
Parabatai- which as revealed later comes with a curse when you fall into romantic love with your parabatai
I ship them (and all things considering sailing this ship is going to be a bitter sweet hell), but hot diggity darn, most of their interactions, when allowed to be more “eros” than “agape” are so. Sweet. They never seem to fight, or have any stronger argument than “I have to leave you!”
Oh Julian, my poor poor child. He and Tess should commiserate about people who think that they have to carry all the relationship burdens.
WE DIDN’T HAVE TO WAIT TIL THE LAST BOOK IN THE SERIES FOR THEM TO DO THE THING
-Christina and Mark
Hon hon hon. What’s happening here? I think that this relationship might be interesting, but that honestly, it would be better if they were just friends. Mark can help her with her Faerieland research, and she can just be awesome.
-Christina and Diego
I’m actually pretty glad that they ended up reconciling, but I am worried that he’s lying about his good intentions. Knowing Cassie... he will be.
-Kit and Ty
So Cassandra Jean (Cassandra Clare’s artist) totally ships this. I’m inclined to agree... but I don't think that we’ve really seen them interact enough to tell.
-Mark and Kieran:
Ouch
That was an unhealthy relationship from the start. As Christina pointed it out, it seemed to be a relationship based on gratitude and shelter from loneliness, not necessarily love, though I suppose that it grew to be that way.
-Christina and Emma:
Besties 5ever.
I’m very glad that Christina will be there for Emma, to guide her through her stupid mistakes.
-Blackthorn babies with Uncle Arthur:
Ok so Uncle Arthur isn’t a chill dude. I despise how he treats his only living relatives.
Some things I didn’t like
-Concerning the whipping scenes, are they wimps or what? I mean, Jules literally got shot by a poisoned bolt and PULLED IT OUT. But he can't take 1 lashing? Maybe faerie whips are extra painful?
-Whyyyyyyyyyyy would you do that Emma? It’s not an okay thing for you to do because Tessa did NOT mean for you to use that love information THAT WAY.
-And hey Tessa, why don't we share the secrets that Will taught you about how to make others feel unloved. Huh? Its not like you felt worthless and angry when he did that to you? I think we should share.
-Great, another whiny Herondale that we’ll like. He’s not a main character tho. And he’s gay! Or bi (I wont make Emma’s mistakes)
I know that there are some things that will frustrate me about this serious, because I believe that how Germany was treated after WWI was one of the stupidest things that Europe has done, and that is almost 100% the same as how the Faeries were treated after the Dark War. Ugh.
Some other things I liked
-Great! We have another Herondale! Jace isn’t alone :)
CASSIE MENTIONED THE TAROT. SHE MENTIONED THE TAROTTTTTT! Did you see that CassJean?
-We’ve seen a lot about the lives of vampires, werewolves, and warlocks in the other books that Cassie has written, and it is going to be so much fun to be able to explore Faeries and their cultures more.
-WE learn so much more about parabatai. Yesssssssssssssss
Fave quotes
-Julian’s love monologue
-“’I’m a Shadowhunter. Quip fast, die young.’”- Emma Carstairs
-There were a lot
Questions for the author that she probs wont answer
-At the end there: Alec says “Raphael?” and...idk...is that their additional cat? Did they name their child after Alec’s unfortunately deceased younger bro, and their cat after a vampire? What is this?
Lady Midnight is the first book in Cassie’s new series: The Dark Artifices! TDA is about the Shadowhunters of Los Angeles, and their actions, and disregard, for the Cold Peace. The Cold Peace is something that we all kind of knew about, but that we haven’t yet seen. I really love how Cassie works the perspective of faeries and Shadowhunters into this. Plus, she includes Shadowhunters who are gung ho about the Cold Peace and those who really...aren’t.
So it’s been five years since the events of City of Heavenly Fire, and oh what events those were. All of the characters that we know and love have grown a lot, and so have the characters that we met in COHF. Let’s talk about them for a bit.
Emma Carstairs:
Emma is 17, has a parabatai, can kick butt, and wants revenge for her parents who were brutally tortured and then murdered about 5 years ago. Now I know what you’re thinking, gee, 5 years ago? Wasn’t that during the Dark War? Wouldn’t that mean that Sebastian murdered Emma’s parents? Well yes, that usually would, and in fact, that is what the Clave says happened, but Emma and basically the rest of the LA Shadowhunters don't think so.
Sooooo she’s out for revenge. But thankfully the story doesn’t focus on just that! It is a main motivator in what starts the initial investigation, and for continued investigation, but after a certain point, Emma just wants to do this so no one else gets hurt.
Something that I really like about Emma is that she is moderately sassy, but its not a constant “hide behind my sarcasm” deal going. Emma is also super oblivious at some points (ex: when she passes off Julian’s steamy looks *wink for just him glancing at her. I mean seriously read your parabatai) but she really is usually pretty aware of her own surroundings. She is her own character. I know that Cassie has gotten a lot of flack from people who say that she has “cookie cutter characters” but I really have a hard time seeing that with this book. Her writing has certainly improved (as exhibited by TID too), but she deserves to be as popular as she is.
Next up we have Emma’s loving parabatai: Julian Blackthorn.
Julian Blackthorn is also 17, a parent to 4 children (if we don’t include Mark), and (unofficially) runs the Institute. While also being in love with his parabatai, which is so illegal it’s hard to describe.
Oh Jules. *nervous laughter*
You are sooooo in loooove.
I really appreciate that Jules can be an artist, and that he actually has a chance to do his art, while being a parent and a Shadowhunter.
He might want to work a little at the desperately in love with you thing, because when he tells Emma that he loves her.... he’s a little... intense? But that might be a cool thing for some people so.
Blackthorn Babies:
-Drusilla: gurrrrlll. You go! Fight bad guys! Be curvy and a successful Shadowhunter! Give no flying cucumbers.
-Livia: LOVE her style, and I respect her life choices
-Tiberius: Ty has been AMAZING at showing how awesome and capable he is. Especially in going from “can’t really fight w/o headphones” to “holding someone I don't know at knifepoint”
-Octavius: Literal baby. Tavvy does NOT need to become Max (too soon? Too soon) and I’m super happy he didn't
-Helen: we so little of her in this book, BUT CONGRATS ON YOUR MARRIAGE HELEN AND ALINE! We all knew it was going to happen, but it’s nice to see. You are a very supportive and cool (but necessarily distant) bug sis.
-Mark: I am syked about him being back. His backstory is tragic and really helps provide some perspective for what Faerie life is like, because up until now, we haven’t seen much of that. Also, TBH, I LOVE CassJean’s art of him.
And now for our beloved returning characters
-About Tessa and Jem: It is going to be GREAT to see them interact with their descendants more. Tessa honey: WHY OH WHY DID YOU TELL EMMA THAT? YOU KNOW HOW MUCH IT HURT YOU WHEN WILL DID ALL THAT TO YOU, AND NOW YOU JUST TELL OTHERS HOW TO DO IT WHEN THEY’RE ASKING? Honey...
-About Clary and Jace: They are being such adults! And THEY’RE RUNNING THE INSTITUTE.....AHHESHFKDJHJKSHJSAF. They're so cute. Oh! And we get this beautiful beautiful flashback to them in looove.
-About Magnus and Alec: cuties. And we saw Max! and how freaking defensive and wise Magnus still is.
-About Catarina Loss: hehehe. I love her. Catarina is great. Unfortuantely we don't get to see or hear a lot about her.. but I get the feeling that will change.
-About Simon and Isabelle: All we know is that Simon and Clary are parabatai *squee and that SIMON AND ISABELLE ARE ENGAGED YES YESYESYEYYSYYEYESYS
Other Characters:
-Christina: Is a rock your socks off type of awesome. She has her life together, and knows how to kill things. What more could you want from a supporting character?
-Diana: I really like that we got to see more of Diana, because she is an intriguing character, who I feel could be a well-rounded supporting character.
-Diego: He’s new. Very new. We meet him 2/3 of the way through the book? And he’s a cEnTuRiOn. Oo lala. He could be a nice perspective into the Scholomance and the Clave.
-Johnny Rook: He’s so shady and it’s great. But now he’s dead. I appreciate a) his job because that is a cool but dangerous job b) ability to (sort of) successfully raise a child in such a dangerous world c) hide his ancestry AND Kit’s.
-Can we talk about Kit? Kit is cool. And apparently a Shadowhunter. And a Herondale. I’m not entirely sure what is happening here, but he has potential.
Villains
-Malcom Fade: look bro. what you did WASN'T chill. I’m glad you’re dead so you can’t do it again. But I also pity you, and get where you were coming from. Rough life. Especially when you think that all your friends have lied to you when they have, in fact, not.
-Lady Midnight herself: ohhhh dear. is she actually going to be bad? Is it now going to be her getting revenge on her posterity for either a) burying herself alive or b) murdering her love (technically that's emma tho)
Relationships
-Julian and Emma
Parabatai- which as revealed later comes with a curse when you fall into romantic love with your parabatai
I ship them (and all things considering sailing this ship is going to be a bitter sweet hell), but hot diggity darn, most of their interactions, when allowed to be more “eros” than “agape” are so. Sweet. They never seem to fight, or have any stronger argument than “I have to leave you!”
Oh Julian, my poor poor child. He and Tess should commiserate about people who think that they have to carry all the relationship burdens.
WE DIDN’T HAVE TO WAIT TIL THE LAST BOOK IN THE SERIES FOR THEM TO DO THE THING
-Christina and Mark
Hon hon hon. What’s happening here? I think that this relationship might be interesting, but that honestly, it would be better if they were just friends. Mark can help her with her Faerieland research, and she can just be awesome.
-Christina and Diego
I’m actually pretty glad that they ended up reconciling, but I am worried that he’s lying about his good intentions. Knowing Cassie... he will be.
-Kit and Ty
So Cassandra Jean (Cassandra Clare’s artist) totally ships this. I’m inclined to agree... but I don't think that we’ve really seen them interact enough to tell.
-Mark and Kieran:
Ouch
That was an unhealthy relationship from the start. As Christina pointed it out, it seemed to be a relationship based on gratitude and shelter from loneliness, not necessarily love, though I suppose that it grew to be that way.
-Christina and Emma:
Besties 5ever.
I’m very glad that Christina will be there for Emma, to guide her through her stupid mistakes.
-Blackthorn babies with Uncle Arthur:
Ok so Uncle Arthur isn’t a chill dude. I despise how he treats his only living relatives.
Some things I didn’t like
-Concerning the whipping scenes, are they wimps or what? I mean, Jules literally got shot by a poisoned bolt and PULLED IT OUT. But he can't take 1 lashing? Maybe faerie whips are extra painful?
-Whyyyyyyyyyyy would you do that Emma? It’s not an okay thing for you to do because Tessa did NOT mean for you to use that love information THAT WAY.
-And hey Tessa, why don't we share the secrets that Will taught you about how to make others feel unloved. Huh? Its not like you felt worthless and angry when he did that to you? I think we should share.
-Great, another whiny Herondale that we’ll like. He’s not a main character tho. And he’s gay! Or bi (I wont make Emma’s mistakes)
I know that there are some things that will frustrate me about this serious, because I believe that how Germany was treated after WWI was one of the stupidest things that Europe has done, and that is almost 100% the same as how the Faeries were treated after the Dark War. Ugh.
Some other things I liked
-Great! We have another Herondale! Jace isn’t alone :)
CASSIE MENTIONED THE TAROT. SHE MENTIONED THE TAROTTTTTT! Did you see that CassJean?
-We’ve seen a lot about the lives of vampires, werewolves, and warlocks in the other books that Cassie has written, and it is going to be so much fun to be able to explore Faeries and their cultures more.
-WE learn so much more about parabatai. Yesssssssssssssss
Fave quotes
-Julian’s love monologue
-“’I’m a Shadowhunter. Quip fast, die young.’”- Emma Carstairs
-There were a lot
Questions for the author that she probs wont answer
-At the end there: Alec says “Raphael?” and...idk...is that their additional cat? Did they name their child after Alec’s unfortunately deceased younger bro, and their cat after a vampire? What is this?
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